Raúl López Verge

Raúl López Verge (Project Dignity) ran for election to the Puerto Rico Senate to represent District 4. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

López Verge completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Puerto Rico Senate District 4 (2 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for Puerto Rico Senate District 4 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Jeison Rosa Ramos (New Progressive Party)	20.1	57,015
✔	Submit photo	Karen M. Román Rodríguez (New Progressive Party)	20.1	56,985
		Migdalia González (Popular Democratic Party)	20.1	56,908
	Submit photo	Juan Vega (Popular Democratic Party)	18.9	53,730
	Submit photo	Julia Rita Rodríguez (Puerto Rican Independence Party)	7.8	22,002
		Jose A. Bonilla Morales (Project Dignity)	5.1	14,505
		Raúl López Verge (Project Dignity)	4.7	13,245
	Submit photo	Neal Matías (Citizen's Victory Movement)	3.3	9,271

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 283,661
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Reynaldo Acevedo Vélez (Puerto Rican Independence Party)
Jose Miguel Perez Villanueva (Independent)
Angel Ortiz (Citizen's Victory Movement)

Citizen's Victory Movement primary election

The Citizen's Victory Movement primary election was canceled. Angel Ortiz advanced from the Citizen's Victory Movement primary for Puerto Rico Senate District 4.

New Progressive Party primary election

New Progressive Party primary for Puerto Rico Senate District 4 (2 seats)

Karen M. Román Rodríguez and Jeison Rosa Ramos defeated Michael Rodríguez González and Félix Lassalle Toro in the New Progressive Party primary for Puerto Rico Senate District 4 on June 2, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Karen M. Román Rodríguez	30.8	21,435
✔	Submit photo	Jeison Rosa Ramos	24.0	16,653
	Submit photo	Michael Rodríguez González	22.8	15,840
	Submit photo	Félix Lassalle Toro	22.4	15,557

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 69,485
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Javier Garcia Bonilla (New Progressive Party)
Pablo Alequin Ramos (New Progressive Party)

Popular Democratic Party primary election

Popular Democratic Party primary for Puerto Rico Senate District 4 (2 seats)

Incumbent Migdalia González and Juan Vega defeated Fernando Padín Valle in the Popular Democratic Party primary for Puerto Rico Senate District 4 on June 2, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Migdalia González	46.5	21,213
✔	Submit photo	Juan Vega	38.4	17,508
	Submit photo	Fernando Padín Valle	15.1	6,902

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 45,623
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Project Dignity primary election

The Project Dignity primary election was canceled. Jose A. Bonilla Morales and Raúl López Verge advanced from the Project Dignity primary for Puerto Rico Senate District 4.

Puerto Rican Independence Party primary election

The Puerto Rican Independence Party primary election was canceled. Reynaldo Acevedo Vélez and Julia Rita Rodríguez advanced from the Puerto Rican Independence Party primary for Puerto Rico Senate District 4.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for López Verge in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

Raúl López Verge completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by López Verge's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am an ophthalmologist by profession, father of three adult children, married to the love of my life for 31 years. I also have a Master of Divinity and was member of my children’s school board for seven years. My hobbies include computer programming and growing hydroponic lettuce.

I am running for office because I want my children to have a bright future. I believe that Puerto Rico has the potential to be the most prosperous part of the United States if we follow the formula which has made great those countries which followed it. This formula is based on five values which form the basis of western civilization and are based on Judeo-Christian ideals of human dignity as found in the last five of the ten commandments. These consist of a high regard for life, family, economic freedom, democracy and personal liberty. These values have been enshrined in documents like the American Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution.

All countries with a high level of economic freedom are prosperous while all countries with low levels of economic freedom are poor. Puerto Rico is the jurisdiction of the United States with the lowest level of economic freedom, so we are the poorest. I believe that if we become the jurisdiction with the highest level of economic freedom, we will also become the most prosperous. The goal of our party, Project Dignity, is to make the changes necessary to become a shining example of what a country based on these values can be.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Economic freedom is the key to economic prosperity for any country. We have too many obsolete and shortsighted laws which are suffocating our economic growth and are an obstacle to entrepreneurship and the establishment of new businesses.
Access to excellent schools four our young people is one of the foundations for economic prosperity. Our educational system is obsolete because it has a hierarchical structure. It is a dinosaur left over from the time of Spanish rule and the rule of American military governors. We spend twice as much per student as some of the best school districts of the United States but have one of the worst performances. We need separation of school and state. We need to eliminate the department of education and replace it with twelve school districts run by boards elected by the population. We also need to promote school choice by making vouchers available for private school students.
Competition and free markets are an essential component of economic freedom. We need to introduce competition into health care by allowing the construction of new hospitals and medical facilities, by eliminating act 75 which gives monopolies to a small number of suppliers and by permitting small producers of electricity access to the electrical grid.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Our young people are leaving the island because of a lack of jobs and economic opportunities. This destroys the extended family. Furthermore, those who stay are not having children. Puerto Rico is facing demographic collapse which will worsen our economic collapse. The key to exiting this collapse spiral is making Puerto Rico the freest economy under the jurisdiction of the United States.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I admire John Calvin because he reformed all aspects of society and created the conditions which led to free market economy, the industrial revolution and the foundation of New England which contributed to the creation of the United States. One of my mottos is that Puerto Rico can become the Switzerland of the Caribbean.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Free to Choose by Milton Friedman; The Road to Serfdom by Friedrich Hayek

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Strength of character based on ethics and a vision based on a coherent political philosophy based on fundamental principles and values which is proven itself to work throughout history. S/he also needs to understand the needs of his/her constituents and have an ability to apply these principles to solve the problems they face. I also believe that s/he must have experienced living successfully in the real world and not be a professional politician.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I have a strong moral character, varied life experiences, a successful career and years of studying politics and economics.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

S/he needs to legislate laws which improve the lives of his/her constituents by addressing both local and statewide problems. More importantly s/he needs to eliminate unnecessary laws which favor a small elite or which have outlived their purpose.

What legacy would you like to leave?

A prosperous Puerto Rico with a free economy.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I remember watching the moon landing with my father when I was six years old on a black and white TV. It left a lasting impression and created a love for science and technology which has lasted all my life.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

When I was a university student, I was studying chemistry and was looking to get a summer job in chemistry, but I happened to mentione in my resume that I knew computer programming and instead was offered a job at NCAR working on some of the first implementations of an email program.

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Bible because I believe it contains Divine wisdom.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

It should be a partnership where the governor focuses on administrating efficiently and the legislature focusses on passing laws which balance freedom and justice.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

We need to create an economic climate which favors entrepreneurship, innovation and investment in order to create economic growth and stem the massive exit of young people from our territory.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Not necessarily.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Absolutely. Teamwork and networking are essential because different people bring different strengths. A good leader knows how to get input from different people to formulate successful policy.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

I am open to the idea.

What is the first bill you would introduce if elected?

We need a part time legislature to prevent the creation of myriad useless and counterproductive laws by lifelong fulltime politicians who have never held a private sector job.

What committees interest you?

Education, commerce.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Very important.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.